This invention relates to a system for, and method of receiving information (e.g., video and/or data) signals transmitted through a cable from a plurality of television stations each operative in an individual frequency range and for recovering the information represented by the information signals.
Systems have been in existence for a number of years for receiving signals from a plurality of television stations and for transmitting these signals through a cable to a subscriber. Each of the television stations provides signals in an individual range of frequencies. For example, the signals from the different television stations may have different frequencies in a range between approximately fifty megahertz (50 MHz) to approximately eight hundred and fifty megahertz (850 MHz). The signals from the different television stations in the frequency range of approximately 50-850 MHz modulate a carrier signal having a suitable carrier frequency.
The television receivers then convert the carrier signals to signals at an intermediate frequency such as approximately forty-four megahertz (44 MHz). These intermediate frequency (IF) signals are the n demodulated at the television receivers and the demodulated signals are processed to recover the data signals from the individual ones of the television stations. The processing of the signals occurs on an analog basis.
It is well recognized that the processing of the signals on an analog basis to recover the information in the information signals is not as precise as would ordinarily be desired. The recovery of such information on a precise basis by analog techniques is especially difficult in view of the fact that the information signals are encoded using quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) with a multitude of amplitude levels.
In one embodiment of the invention, carrier signals modulated by information (video and/or data) signals are received through a cable and are converted to modulated signals at an intermediate frequency. The IF signals are sampled at a particular frequency to produce digital information signals. The digital information signals are introduced to a variable interpolator which produces first digital signals. The first digital signals are introduced to a complex multiplier which produces second digital signals. The second digital signals pass to an adaptive equalizer which selects, for each of the second signals in accordance with the amplitude of such second signals, an individual one of a multitude of amplitude levels involved in quadrature amplitude modulation. These selected amplitude levels represent the information (video and/or data).
The output signals from the adaptive equalizer are introduced to a first signal recovery loop which includes a first numerically controlled oscillator. The oscillator operates upon the variable interpolator to obtain the production by the variable interpolator of the first digital signals in the correct subinterval of the time period that each of the digital information signals is produced. The output signals from the adaptive equalizer are also introduced to a second signal recovery loop which includes a second numerically controlled oscillator. This oscillator operates upon the complex multiplier to maintain the frequency of the second digital signals at the frequency of the digital information signals.